sound, and fully ripe pears, fit to eat in their natural state; peel
them carefully keeping them in their original form, then split in
halves, and cut out the cores and seeds. Fill ten lightning-glass jars
with the pears, and pour over five quarts of syrup (No. 1339), covering
them tightly the same as for the peaches (No. 1340), placing them
likewise in the saucepan, but boiling for fifteen minutes instead of
ten. When lifted from the pan, proceed precisely as for the peaches. The
best time to purchase the fruit is from August 25 to September 26.
=1342. Preserved Apples.=--Select sixty medium-sized, fine, sound, ripe
Newtown pippins, the best time for this being from October 1 to December
1. Peel and core them with a corer, then cut them into quarters, and
divide them equally into ten glass jars as for peaches (No. 1340). Fill
them up with the syrup at thirty degrees, then cover tightly, put them
in the saucepan exactly the same as for the peaches, and boil for
fifteen minutes instead of ten. Take from off the fire, and finish the
same as for the peaches, putting them away in the same temperature.
=1343. Preserved Egg-plums.=--Have two hundred medium sized egg-plums,
ripe enough to break easily from the stones; wash them carefully, drain,
then divide them equally into the ten quart lightning-jars. Fill them up
with the thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339), cover tightly, and arrange them
in the pan precisely as for peaches (No. 1340). Boil them for eight
minutes instead of ten, then take from the stove, and finish preparing
them exactly as for the peaches. The best time to procure these is from
August 5 to September 1.
=1344. Preserved Green-gages.=--Procure two hundred and fifty fine, ripe
green-gages, selecting those which break easily from the stones; wash
them well in cold water, drain thoroughly, then divide them equally into
the ten patent glass jars, exactly as described for peaches (No. 1340).
Fill up with five quarts of thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339), and finish
preparing them the same as for peaches, but boiling them only for eight
minutes instead of ten; put them away the same as the other fruits. The
best time to procure green-gages is from August 1 to September 1.
=1345. Preserved Strawberries.=--Always purchase the berries from June 7
to July 20, when residing in New York. Have fully the equivalent of ten
quarts of well-picked and thoroughly washed, ripe, sound, and perfect
strawberries, drain them well. To have these well selected it will
doubtless require twenty-two to twenty-five quart baskets of unpicked
fruit. When well drained, fill the ten quart lightning-glass jars with
the berries, and pour in the thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339), but using
it hot instead of cold. Cover them tightly, and proceed precisely the
same as for peaches (No. 1340), only boiling them five minutes instead
of ten, and putting them away the same.
=1346. Preserved Raspberries.=--Have ready the equivalent of ten quarts
of fine, ripe, solid, well-washed, and thoroughly drained raspberries;
sixteen quart baskets will be about the necessary quantity to purchase.
When ready, fill up the ten lightning-glass jars, and proceed to prepare
them as explained for peaches (No. 1340), the only exception being that
they must be boiled five minutes instead of ten. The proper time to
obtain the berries is from July 10 to July 20.
=1347. Preserved Cherries.=--Purchase twenty-five pounds of fine, sound,
ripe, white wax cherries; pick off the stems neatly, and should there be
any unripe or spoilt ones among them, throw them away, as they would
likely ruin the rest. When finished, there should be about twenty pounds
of sound cherries suitable for preserving. Have ready ten quart
lightning-glass jars, same as for the peaches (No. 1340); divide the
picked cherries evenly into them, and fill up with the thirty-degree
syrup (No. 1339). Cover them tightly and carefully, then arrange them in
a large saucepan precisely the same as the peaches, and finish them
exactly as described in that number, boiling them for the same length of
time. June 15 to July 1 is the best time to obtain the fruit.
=1348. How to Roast Coffee.=--If practicable, procure a small family
coffee-roaster. Have three quarters of a pound of Java, mixed with a
quarter of a pound of Mocha, place it in the roaster, and taking one of
the lids from off the stove, put the roaster on a moderate fire, and
turn the small handle constantly and slowly until the coffee becomes a
good brown color; for this it should take about twenty-five minutes;
open the cover to see when it is done, then transfer it to an earthen
jar, cover it tightly, and use when needed; or, a more simple way, and
even more effectual, is to take a tin baking-dish, butter well the
bottom, and placing the same quantity of coffee therein, put it in a
moderate oven to let get a good golden color; twenty minutes will
suffice for this, being careful to toss it frequently with a wooden
spoon, then remove to an earthen jar and cover it well.
Roasting one’s own coffee is a sure way of having it always fresh;
besides, it retains its full flavor; but care must also be taken to
purchase coffee from a responsible, first-class dealer.
=1349. How to Make Black Coffee.=--Take six light tablespoonfuls of
coffee-beans from the jar (No. 1348); grind them in a mill, neither too
coarse nor too fine. Have a well-cleaned French coffee-pot, put the
coffee on the filter, with the small strainer over, then pour on a pint
and a half of boiling water, little by little, recollecting, at the same
time, that too much care cannot be taken to impress on those making the
coffee, the necessity of having the water boiling thoroughly, otherwise
it were as useless to attempt the feat as to try and raise musk-melons
at the North Pole, notwithstanding that the coffee be of the very first
quality. When all the water is consumed put on the cover, and let infuse
slightly, but on no account must it boil again; then serve in six
after-dinner cups. Coffee should never be prepared more than five
minutes before the time to serve.
=1350. Café Noir à l’Alexander the Great.=--Put in an earthen pot on the
hot range three pints of cold water; when boiling, immediately add four
and a half ounces of freshly ground coffee, and as soon as the coffee
has been added, put the pot on the corner of the stove to rest for three
minutes. Have a piece of hot, red (very red) charcoal the size of a
small banana, plunge it into the coffee. (If no charcoal at hand, a
piece of red stove-coal will answer). Let rest again for three minutes;
then you will see a heavy foam appearing at the surface of the coffee,
thoroughly skim it off with a skimmer. Then carefully and gently pour it
into a hot coffee-pot, and send to the table with six small, hot
demi-tasses; accompanied with six ponies of old Renauldt cognac.
I would recommend that, after the scum has been removed, the coffee
should be handled as gently as possible, so that all undesirable
elements will remain at the bottom.
=1351. Café au Lait (Coffee with Milk).=--Have a clean French
coffee-filter ready on the hot range; place in it four and a half ounces
of freshly ground coffee, as for No. 1349; then gradually pour over it,
all around, half a pint of boiling water; let rest for three minutes,
then gradually pour over two pints and a half more of boiling water
(taking special care that, under no circumstances, should it be allowed
to boil again after the water has been poured over). When all dripped
down, pour it into a hot coffee-pot. Take three pints of good, freshly
and thoroughly heated milk (but do not boil it), pour it into a hot
pitcher, send to the table with six hot cups _à café au lait_, pouring
into each cup half coffee and half milk.
=1352. Café au Lait à la St. Gottardo.=--Place in an earthen pot on the
hot range two quarts of very fresh milk, and let it heat until near the
boiling-point, then immediately add two and a half ounces of fresh,
finely ground coffee (No. 1349). Shuffle the pot in contrary directions
until it comes to a boil; then let it rest for three minutes.
Strain it through a clean napkin into a hot serving-pitcher, and serve
with six café-au-lait cups.
=1353. Café Glacé (Iced Coffee).=--Prepare one quart of coffee as for
No. 1349, and also one quart of thoroughly heated milk (not boiled).
Pour both coffee and milk into a small ice-cream freezer. Sweeten with
three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar; tightly cover the freezer, place
it in a tub containing broken ice and rock-salt a little higher than the
height of the coffee, then sharply turn it by the handle of the cover,
in different directions, for five or six minutes; neatly wipe the cover
of the freezer all around to avoid that any ice should fall in; and with
the aid of a ladle pour it into a pitcher, and serve with six
coffee-glasses, and powdered sugar separately.
=1354. Thé (Tea).=--Place in a tea-pot three heaped tablespoonfuls, or
one and a half ounces, of the best English-breakfast tea, _purchased
from a responsible dealer_. Pour over five pints of boiling water. See
to it that the water is boiling, else, even with the best quality of
tea, you will never succeed to have it made to perfection. Let infuse
for five minutes (but do not boil again), then send to the table with a
pint of cold milk, or a pint of sweet cream.
=Thé Glacé (Iced Tea).=--Prepare the same quantity of tea the same as
above, pour into an ice-cream freezer, sweeten, and proceed the same as
for iced coffee (No. 1353), (omitting the milk); pour it into a cold
pitcher, and send to the table with six coffee-glasses, six slices of
sound lemon, and powdered sugar separately.
=1355. Thé à la Russe (Russian Tea).=--Place in a tea-pot three heaped
tablespoonfuls of English-breakfast tea; pour over a little boiling
water, just sufficient to cover the tea, about two tablespoonfuls; let
infuse for one minute, then draw the water out, but do not use it. Pour
in half a pony of good old Jamaica rum and three pints of boiling water;
let infuse for four minutes, and then serve in cup with a decanter of
old Jamaica rum separately, thin slices of lemon, and powdered sugar.
This is the old Russian style. Later fashion is to flavor it with a
little vanilla flavor and a few drops of lemon juice.
=1356. How to Make Chocolate.=--Select three quarters of a pound of good
chocolate (Maillard’s is preferable), break it into pieces, and put them
in a saucepan on the stove with half a pint of boiling water; stir well
with a wooden spoon, and when the chocolate is thoroughly dissolved pour
one quart of boiling water over, using a quart of milk instead of the
water when chocolate and milk is desired. Let it cook well for ten
minutes, then serve.
=1357. Chocolat au Lait à la George Washington.=--Have a stone pot on
the hot range with half a pint of cold water. Break in six tablets of
one ounce each of Maillard’s chocolate, sharply mix with a very clean
wooden spoon or spatula until it is thoroughly dissolved; then add two
quarts of good cold milk, thoroughly heat until it comes to a boil,
mixing lightly with the wooden spoon meanwhile. Pour it into a hot
pitcher, and send to the table with cups and powdered sugar separately.
A pinch of salt represents 205 grains, or a tablespoonful.
Half a pinch of pepper represents 38 grains, or a teaspoonful.
A third of a pinch of nutmeg represents 13 grains, or half a
teaspoonful.
SUPPLEMENT.
=1358. Lobster à la Rushmore.=--Select three fine, fresh lobsters, each
weighing two pounds; boil them in salted water for ten minutes, then
take them out and put to cool for eighteen minutes. Pick out all the
meat, leaving the main body-shells intact for further use. Mince up the
tail-parts, coral, and claws into pieces a quarter of an inch thick by
three quarters of an inch wide. Put a sautoire containing half an ounce
of fresh butter on the hot stove; chop up very fine one good-sized,
sound shallot, add it to the butter in the pan, also the minced lobster,
and season with a light pinch of salt, a light saltspoonful of cayenne
pepper, and half a glassful of good white wine; let the whole reduce for
ten minutes, stirring it meanwhile with a wooden spoon. Add one
tablespoonful of tomato sauce (No. 205), four tablespoonfuls of
Espagnole sauce (No. 151), and six mushroom-stalks chopped up very fine.
Let cook well for ten minutes longer, then set the sautoire on the
corner of the stove to keep warm. Take the three main shells of the
lobsters, split them evenly in two, lengthwise, pare the ends off
neatly, wash them thoroughly, and wipe them dry. These shells should not
be longer than four and a half inches. Fill the six shells with the
prepared lobster, lay two mushroom heads on top of each, put them on a
tin plate and pour over the remainder of the sauce in the sautoire. Set
them in the hot oven to bake for five minutes, then remove and dress
them on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and send to the table.
=1359. Raw Hamburg Steak.=--Chop up two pounds of beef the same as for
cooked Hamburg steak (No. 526), only selecting more tender pieces, and
return it to the machine two or three times so as to have it finer.
Season with one large pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and the
third of a pinch of nutmeg. Place the meat on a dish, divide it into six
small, flattened steaks, and throw a raw egg yolk over each one; garnish
with two shallots, one tablespoonful of parsley, the same quantity of
capers, and three anchovies, all finely minced, and arranged in clusters
around the dish.
=1360. Mignons of Lamb, Sauce Béarnaise.=--Procure a fine, tender leg of
lamb, bone it with a sharp knife so as to detach the meat from the
knuckle, beginning from the hip-side downwards. Cut out from this six
even pieces or steaks, one inch thick by two and a half in diameter,
pare them nicely, and with a small, keen knife remove any sinews that
are liable to adhere to the meat. Lay them on a cold dish, and season
with a good pinch of salt and a light pinch of pepper, and roll them
well, so that the seasoning be equally distributed. Put half an ounce
of good butter in a frying-pan, set it on a brisk fire, and add the
pieces, or mignons, immediately, being careful that they do not lay one
on top of the other, and cook them very briskly for two and a half
minutes on each side. Prepare half a pint of Béarnaise sauce (No. 166),
pour it on a hot serving-dish, dress the six mignons nicely over, one
overlapping the other, and send to the table immediately.
Any lamb that may be left over after cutting off the mignons can be
utilized for minced lamb, soup, or any other purpose desired.
=1361. Hind-quarter of Spring Lamb.=--Procure a medium-sized, fine,
white hind-quarter of lamb; pare it neatly, trim the small handle-bone,
and fold the flank over the ribs, to prevent them being overdone; that
means that the leg and ribs will be equally cooked the same length of
time. Tie it well together, then season with one and a half pinches of
salt divided evenly, and envelop it well in its caul or leaf-fat; lay it
in a roasting-pan, pouring in one tablespoonful of broth or water, then
place it in a moderate oven, and let roast for one hour, basting it
occasionally with its own dripping. Take it from the oven, remove the
caul, untie, and dress it on a hot dish, adjusting a neat paper ruffle
to the handle-bone. Skim the fat from off the gravy, strain the latter
over the lamb and serve.
=1362. Chicken, Sauté à la Ch. C. Delmonico.=--Select from a good
poultry-dealer two fine, tender Philadelphia spring-chickens weighing
two pounds each. Singe them over a little alcohol poured onto a plate,
draw the entrails, wash well the interiors, then wipe them dry with a
clean cloth. Cut each chicken into six pieces, place them in a sautoire
with two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil, season with a good pinch of salt
and one pinch of pepper, then set the sautoire on a very brisk fire, and
let cook until the pieces assume a good, light brown color (ten minutes
will suffice), stirring them lightly in the meanwhile. Chop up very fine
one sound shallot; cut one green pepper into small, dice-shaped pieces,
also the end part only of a medium-sized, peeled carrot; place all these
with the chickens, and let cook together for one minute and a half, then
add one glassful of good white wine, and let the liquid reduce to
one-half, which will take ten minutes on a brisk fire, stirring it
occasionally. Now add one gill of Espagnole sauce (No. 151), a
tablespoonful of tomato sauce (No. 205), the juice of a good-sized, very
sound lemon, and a quarter of an ounce of fresh butter; let all cook for
ten minutes longer, stirring it lightly with a spoon. Plunge three
canned artichoke-bottoms into very hot water, lift them up immediately
with a skimmer, wipe them thoroughly dry with a napkin, then cut each
one into four quarters; slice three medium-sized truffles very fine, and
add all these to the chickens two minutes before serving. Dress the
chickens and sauce on a very hot serving-dish, adjust paper ruffles to
the ends of the four legs; garnish the dish artistically with the
artichokes star-shaped. Place a slice of truffle on the centre of each
artichoke, and a very small, round slice of Spanish sweet pepper on top
of each truffle, and send to the table very hot.
=1363. Chicken, Sauté à la Ranhofer.=--Select two fine, tender chickens
weighing two pounds each; singe them well, draw the entrails, wash
thoroughly, and wipe very dry; then cut each chicken into six pieces,
and season them with a good pinch of salt and a light pinch of pepper.
Place the pieces of chicken in a sautoire with three quarters of an
ounce of good butter and half a tablespoonful of sweet oil, and set it
on a very hot stove. Chop up one shallot very fine, and one sound, green
pepper cut in small, dice-shaped pieces; when the chickens are of a
light brown color, add the shallot and pepper, and stir well for one
minute; then add a wine-glassful of good white wine, and let reduce to
one quarter, which will take six minutes. Pour in one gill of tomato
sauce (No. 205) and one and a half gills of Espagnole sauce (No. 151),
and let cook rather slowly for ten minutes longer, stirring it
occasionally. Dress the chickens and sauce on a very hot serving-dish,
adjust paper ruffles on the ends of the four legs, and decorate the dish
with the following garnishing: take six canned artichoke-bottoms, spread
a tablespoonful of Duxelle (No. 215) in the centre of each one; empty
the interiors of six fine, sound, medium-sized green peppers, cooked in
the oven for five minutes, stuff them with Duxelle garnishing (No. 189),
and arrange them on top of the artichokes, their thin part uppermost, so
as to give them a pyramidal shape; then lay them on a buttered tin plate
or dish, and set them in a slow oven to bake for five minutes; remove
them, but while they are baking cut out six round pieces of fresh bread,
half an inch thick by two and a half inches in diameter; place them on a
hot stove in a frying-pan with half a tablespoonful of butter, and let
get a light brown color for two minutes. Arrange the six artichokes and
peppers on top of the pieces of bread, garnish the dish nicely, and send
to the table at once.
=1364. Filets Mignons à la Lorillard.=--After preparing six timbales as
described below, and when removed from the oven, have ready six fine
filets mignons as for No. 509, and serve with the following garnishing
and sauce: take six small timbale-molds, measuring one and three quarter
inches in diameter and two inches deep; butter well the insides, and set
them in the ice-box to get thoroughly cold. Have one medium-sized,
cooked carrot, also one cooked turnip; cut them both with a tube a
quarter of an inch in diameter by one inch long; have also half a
medium-sized, fine, white cabbage, and trim the outer leaves neatly. Put
into a stewpan one ounce of salt pork cut into small dice-shaped pieces;
add the cabbage, and season with half a pinch of pepper; set the pan on
a rather slow fire, cover it tightly, and let cook slowly for thirty
minutes, without removing the lid; during this time decorate the six
cold timbales by laying a slice of truffle, half an inch in diameter, at
the bottom of each, and just in the centre, and with the aid of a
larding-needle arrange a row of cooked green peas around this, then
decorate half the interior of each timbale with half the prepared
carrots and turnips, using the utmost care, and keeping them inclining
slightly toward the right, and the other half inclining toward the left.
Fill up the timbales with the cooked cabbage, using a spoon to press it
in gently, so that they are filled entirely as far as the top. Put them
on a roasting-pan, filling it with hot water to half the height of the
timbales, then place them in a hot oven, and heat from three and a half
to four minutes. Take them from the oven, and leave the pan on the
corner of the stove to keep warm. Cut an oval-shaped slice from an
American loaf of bread, one inch in thickness, pare the edges neatly,
then butter it lightly, and place it in the oven on a tin plate to get a
light brown color; two minutes will be sufficient for this; lay it on a
very hot dish, and dress the six filets mignons on top of the bread
croustade, each one lengthwise and slightly overlapping one another, and
so on until all are used. Pour over the mignons half a pint of hot
Colbert sauce (No. 190), to which add whatever parings or pieces of
truffle remain, one minute before using; then with a towel remove the
timbales from the pan, one after the other, turn them upside down,
unmold, and with these decorate the dish, placing one at each end and
two on each side, then send to the table immediately.
It would be advisable to prepare and cook the fillets after the timbales
are removed from the oven.
=1365. Flageolets Sautés au Beurre.=--Take three quarters of a quart can
of fine, French flageolet beans, parboil them in boiling and lightly
salted water for one and a half minutes, then drain them on a colander,
and place them immediately in a saucepan on the hot stove with an ounce
of good butter; season with a teaspoonful of salt, and shuffle lightly
with a wooden spoon while cooking for three minutes, and when serving,
add half a teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley. Dress them on a hot
dish, and serve.
=1366. Eggs à la Post.=--Wash and scrape neatly one good-sized, sound
carrot, then, with a vegetable-scoop, scoop out twelve round pieces;
place them in a sautoire with one gill of white broth (No. 99), and a
teaspoonful of good butter. Cook them on the hot range for twenty
minutes.
Place twelve fine, sound, roasted, and shelled Italian chestnuts into
the sautoire with the carrots, let come to a boil. Remove all the skin
from two uncooked sausages. Make twelve equal balls out of it, place on
a tin plate, and bake in the hot oven four minutes. Remove, and add them
to the carrots and chestnuts. Season with a light pinch of salt and the
third of a saltspoonful of red pepper; add one gill of Madeira sauce
(No. 185). Cook for two minutes longer. Have a silver dish sufficiently
large to contain twelve eggs so that they do not touch one another.
Place in the centre of the dish half a pint of hot purée of chestnuts
(No. 131), then arrange twelve fried eggs over the purée prepared the
same as in No. 412. Carefully and equally divide in clusters around the
dish, the carrots, chestnuts, and sausage balls, then pour the sauce
around the eggs with a spoon, but none over the eggs. Place on top of
each egg one thin slice of truffle cut with a tube. Place in the hot
oven to heat for one minute. Take from out the oven, and serve.
=1367. Oysters Fried à la Arthur Sullivan.=--Carefully open thirty
large, fine, fresh box-oysters; place them in a saucepan with their own
juice, season with the third of a saltspoonful of red pepper, adding
half a medium-sized fine, sound lemon, cut into thin slices, one sprig
of thyme, a small bay-leaf, and a branch of well-washed parsley. Place
on the hot range, and heat up very fast without boiling, for which, on a
very brisk fire, it should be done in one minute and a quarter; then
place the whole in an earthen bowl to cool.